Stockton Head Injury Lawyer

Written by: Steven L. Brown

Head injuries are one of the most problematic and impacting personal injuries you can experience, often resulting in long-term disabilities that are hard to recover from. Your head injury can be caused by the mistakes or negligence of others, leaving you with devastating injuries that are no fault of your own. When this happens, you can seek a brain injury settlement with the help of your personal injury attorney in Stockton, CA. Your head injury shouldn’t go unnoticed or unaddressed, and you may be due compensation for the damages you experienced.

How Are Head Injuries Caused?

There are several ways that you may have experienced a brain injury that could be attributed to another’s negligence. Head injuries are very common, contributing to 30.5% of all death-related injuries in the US. 

Slip and Fall Injuries

A slip and fall accident may have caused your brain injury. This happens when you are unaware of a hazard on someone’s property, potentially resulting in a terrible brain injury. For example, there may be uneven, wet, or slippery surfaces that caused you to fall. There may be broken flooring, a pileup of debris such as leaves and dirt, or other obstacles that caused you to fall. When the owner of the premises is negligent and did not properly maintain their property, they can be responsible for your injuries. 

Car Accidents

Car crashes are often the cause of a deeply debilitating brain injury and frequently happen.  When you get into a car accident, it is easy to hit your head on the steering wheel, the back of the seat, the window, the ceiling of the car, and even the pavement if you wind up being ejected.  The other driver may be at fault if they were distracted while driving, breaking traffic laws, or under the influence of drugs. Whatever the reason, if someone else caused your brain injury in a car crash, you can seek compensation for your damages. 

Violence

In the rare and unfortunate case of violence, you can also sustain a brain injury due to the harmful actions of another. Someone may have been fighting, assaulting, or unintentionally caused you harm through anger or obscene behavior. The settlement amount for a brain injury due to violence is typically high, but your attorney has to use evidence to prove that they are responsible.  Often insurance does not cover intentional acts like this, but often there is other coverage such as the perpetrator acting as an employee of a company or business.  We have recovered under such circumstances. 

Blunt Trauma

Blunt trauma is when you are accidentally hit in the head. For example, you could suffer a brain injury at work due to a machinery malfunction or equipment.  Also, you could be walking through a studio, and a stage light falls and hits you on your head. During circumstances like these, the sheer impact and force of the object can cause a brain injury. If you are on the premises of another, your attorney can potentially hold the owner of the premises responsible for your damages. 

What Type of Injuries Can I Receive from Head Injuries?

Sadly, head injuries can result in severe physical and mental disorders that take time to become evident and to overcome. Sometimes, these injuries can be permanent or result in a disability. 

Cognitive Disorders

Your brain injury can cause problems with speaking, hearing, seeing, and smelling, leading to cognitive disorders. Other issues can include impaired memory, the inability to sleep normally, and poor concentration. 

Neurological Issues

A brain injury can also result in pain, tingling and numbness in your limbs. You may have paralysis and have problems with your balance.  This can be the result of what is called a central nervous system injury.  

Motor Skill Disorders

Because of your brain injury, you may be unable to walk, run, perform in sports or participate in simple activities of daily living. You might also suffer from incontinence of either bowel or bladder. These are life-altering conditions that often require increased medical care and life-accommodating services, even home alterations.  

Emotional Disturbance

It is not unusual to experience depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges due to a brain injury. Structural changes to your brain and the secondary impact on your life can and often do severely impact your emotional health.  

What Damages Can I Include In My Settlement?

With the help of a Stockton, CA attorney, you can be guided through what types of damages are consistent with a traumatic brain injury as part of a settlement. These damages often include both economic and non-economic damages, what are called losses and harms.  Recovery of these damages can help you return to the normalcy of life, or make it more manageable.  Economic damages can include medical expenses, both past and future; home or vehicle alterations; wage loss, both past and future; and other out-of-pocket expenses.  Non-economic damages is the value jury’s place on the emotional injuries, including pain and suffering both past and future.  

Economic Damages

When you experience a brain injury, you will likely be responsible for many medical expenses because of your injuries. For example, you will not only have initial treatment, but many follow-up treatments or medical visits so your doctor can monitor your health or treat your ongoing medical problems. You may also need imaging studies such as x-rays, CT scans or MRI’s; ,lab tests; and prescription medications to help you during your treatment and beyond.  Your brain injury may also require surgery.  Other examples of economic damages or losses can include medical bills for physical therapy to help you regain motor skills, or mental health treatment.  

You may have experienced past wage loss from missing work due to your brain injuries.  You may also miss work in the future, including an inability to work the same job you had before the brain injury anr future income loss can also be accounted for, as you may be out of work for weeks or months. It is also possible that it left you with a devastating disability, preventing you from returning to your normal line of work. If this happens to you in Stockton, CA, you may have to get additional training in an occupation. The cost of education and job placement may be an extra expense you can be included in your settlement. If your loved one passed away due to a brain injury, you can include additional wrongful death damages such as lost benefits, earning capacity, and the loss of the relationship. 

Non-economic Damages

Associated with a brain injury is pain and suffering.   and struggling to manage expenses. Emotional distress damages are mostly how you have been impacted by the injuries, such as depression, PTSD, sadness, anxiety, embarrassment, shame, guilt, and other negative emotions. Even on pain medication, you can still experience such injuries as headaches, migraines, fogginess, soreness, and other physical pain. In a case of wrongful death, the surviving family members can also claim loss of consortium, companionship, guardianship, mentorship, and other valuable services. You can request additional damages based on your attorney’s recommendations.

Work with a Stockton CA Head Injury Lawyer to Get Further Guidance

After you have suffered a head injury and after seeking immediate medical attention, you should take pictures of your wounds or injuries and preserve your memories by writing down, or having someone in your family write down your thoughts or feelings.  We recommend that you keep a journal each week of how you are doing, your challenges and your feelings.  This allows the attorney a good insight into what you are suffering or experiencing.  Ensure that this journal is directed to your attorney to ensure confidentiality.  Your attorney will advise you on your best steps to preserve evidence and protect your interests throughout this ordeal.  They will use the evidence they gather about your accident to build a case against responsible person. Your Stockton, CA attorney is educated in personal injury law and their advice can guide you in the right direction during such a difficult time. Once you have viable evidence, your attorney will establish your claim and help you get the settlement you are owed. You can contact Brown & Gessell for a free consultation in Stockton, CA.